Thursday, 21 July 2016

Remodeling a home even with just one room can cause major disruption in your family life and routine. One of the main concerns for a homeowner is keeping the project on schedule so that life can return to normalcy as soon as possible.A professional home remodeling contractor provides you with a realistic timeframe for completing the project; they build in provisions for the unexpected – which almost always happen. That being said, there is much you can do to keep the project on track; listed below are a few ideas that can help prevent avoidable delays.Plan in advanceWork with a professional home remodeler, who is customer focused and has sharp design-build skills. Passionate customer focus enables them understand your vision of a remodel. All the details can be discussed in advance to avoid gaps in communication and the consequent costly mistakes during the execution of the project.Design-build expertise means a firm commitment on the delivery of your remodel with a written promise of three integrated key features: best value for your money, fastest completion and reduced cost. There can just be no misunderstanding, miscommunication, delay, default, shirking of responsibility, increased cost and compromise on quality.Make your choices and decisions well in advance. Even a small thing like delayed choice of faucets can have a snowball effect, and might increase costs and inevitable delays.Have no second thoughtsIt is, of course, normal for anyone to have second thoughts about some aspects of a remodel, while the project is underway; one or two might even be necessary. Such a situation arises mainly because of a lack of informed discussion and decision prior to the commencement of the project.Mid-execution changes will inevitably cause delays and increase costs. Remember that pre-execution decisions on choices are usually made at leisure and without pressure; those are more likely to be right than those made midway under pressures in general.Invite not trouble by buying your own materialsIt’s no secret that a contractor will mark up the cost of materials purchased for a remodel project. That is normal as the figure given to you includes escalation of prices of materials and compensation for their time and effort. You may be tempted to buy materials yourself to save on costs.You must realize that the contractor is far more qualified and experienced than you are – to buy the right type of materials for the project. Those you might buy at ‘cheaper’ prices can be substandard and unsuitable, and could cause problems down the road, calling for replacement and thus causing delay and increased costs.On the other hand, the contractor is responsible for the quality of materials they buy and their correct use/installation. Furthermore, the contractor usually has the knack of negotiating lower rates than you could: they have their own contacts of manufacturers and wholesalers. And so, you may actually end up with a bad bargain and unwittingly hike the project costs.Don’t pressurize the contractorYour home may have problems that you are unaware of, which could drive up the remodeling costs. If you trust the contractor, avoid arguing with and pressurizing them to ignore the work that they think is required, but you think otherwise.Such a situation not only could delay the completion, but also drive up the project cost when the issues you ignored come to light ultimately. If you have doubts about what the contractor says, get a second opinion. Do not insist on having your way because you think you are right.The next post will look at a few more things you can do to avoid delays